As much as we loved Norway we knew our time there was drawing to a close. With the Schengen visa restriction you simply can’t spend too much time in one European country or else you are left scrambling everywhere else. While Norway was definitely a major attraction for us, there was still much more we wanted to see before heading home to Kelowna for a summer break. We made this week in Norway our last.
Bergen is a major attraction in Norway, a beautiful city with a ton of history and is also a very popular cruise port, even this early in the season. Sadly for us, Bergen turned on some of ( what the locals called ) its more typical weather and left us sightseeing in misty rain the whole time we were there. Our Bergen memories from before were much better. While the city is as beautiful as ever, it’s definitely one that you ideally want to see on a nice sunny day – such was not our day this time around 😔.
Bergen waterfront – locals told us we experienced the “real Bergen” because this is the weather they live with most of the time ! We would have preferred “tourist” weather Bergen. Much of Bergen is built on steep hillsides, giving it a dramatic look – and practically everyone has ocean views.Classic Bergen street scene on the harbourfront.At least some blossoms were out !Scandinavia is famous for sleek style- even the laundromat looked “cool”.
Our route east to Oslo ( and on out of Norway ) took us through Dale, Vos, Flam and Gol, all towns with various attractions to offer and where we made enjoyable stops – fortunately, on this section the weather help up nicely, not letting us down again until we actually reached Oslo.
“Dale of Norway” is famous for Norwegian sweaters and they have an interesting museum which we visited. They have outfitted the Norwegian winter Olympic team ( often the team that wins most golds ! ) since the 50’s and their designs are known globally.Falls, Skulestadmo.The picturesque fjord town of Flam. Camped up just outside Flam on one of our most scenic spots ever. Joined soon after by a young couple from Chile.Fellow travellers from Chile/Argentina.A fjord shot as we left Flam.Gol. Two stunningly beautiful days here.Occasionally we do visit a regular campground – spent a couple of lovely days here at Gol. The same family has owned and run it since 1928.All across Norway we kept seeing this road sign. The image of a young girl fading away. It warned of the risks of speeding- had a powerful impact.
While Oslo is a beautiful spot and we took in what sights we could on another miserably rainy day, the main attraction this go around was actually to visit with some old friends. Gil, best man at our daughter/son in law’s wedding, gave us a wonderful tour of downtown Oslo. Ole ( and his wife Britt ) hosted us to a wonderful dinner where we spent hours catching up on each others lives – it had been 42 years since we first met ( backpacking in Asia ) and 40 years since we last visited them at their home south of Oslo. Amazing how, despite the passage of such significant time, you can so easily pick up right where you left off. They’ve promised the next visit will be them coming to see us in Canada.
Selfie – OsloOslo’s rail station is a tourist attraction in itself. Stunningly beautiful inside.Abstract art, Oslo harbour.The “Guggenheim-like” museum in Oslo.The unique work of Gustav Vigeland, Vigeland Park, Oslo.Almost Oslo’s most famous son – “The Brat” statue at Vigeland Park.Wonderful to catch with family friend, Gil, who lives in Norway. He flew to Kelowna to be best man at our daughter’s wedding.He gave us great sightseeing tips but could not deliver on the weather (lol ). We made the best of it !Britt and Ole.Just wonderful to connect with old friend Ole and his wife Britt. First met Ole in Thailand in 1983, then visited in Oslo in 1985. Then a 40 year gap. Lots to catch up on and thoroughly enjoyed our visit!
With our time in Norway drawing quickly to a close we made plans for our final month in Europe ( we’ll be taking a summer hiatus and returning to Canada for a few months ). Next week we’ll travel down through western Sweden and across Denmark to Germany, in preparation for the final month of this first leg of Europe 2025.
Can’t “win ‘em all” as they say. Travel long enough and you’ll get rained on somewhere – the typically beautiful Lofoten’s were largely a washout for us, so due to the poor weather there we moved on quickly. The Lofoten ferry took us out through the short route, across the mouth of Vestfjorden to Bodo on the mainland. In Bodo, in just one day, we saw the weather change frequently ( usually for the worse ! ) but managed to salvage at least a delightful seaside evening out by the fjord. The bad weather days of course, have not all been in vain – we’ve learned from experience to use those productively as well, and typically spend them doing our laundry, grocery shopping or any other such endeavor that can be done equally easily no matter the conditions.
Camped here at Bodo. A beautiful evening and enjoyed a long seaside walk.Out for an evening walk by the fjord at Bodo catching the late afternoon sun.
It was quite a long ( but interesting ) run from Bodo down to Trondheim, our next area of interest. A few images below will tell the story. By Trondheim conditions had changed quite dramatically and we really felt that we were by then ( more or less anyway ) out of the snow zone. Warmer weather, greener fields, leaves starting to appear in trees – all a welcome relief !
Leaving Bodo and heading south we crossed the Arric Corcle again. And it felt like the Arctic !!!Stopped for a tea break and caught a guy “mushing” with his sled and dogs. This is a bank of Tesla electric charges near Trofors ( a small town )in Norway. They have one of the highest levels of electric vehicle ownership in the world ( and probably the highest ownership level of Tesla’s ! ).Among our stranger experiences in Norway. In the tiny ( and I mean TINY ) town of Trofors on a Sunday morning we were pulled over to do a breathalyzer test. Zero reading of course !
Trondheim turned on the best of days for us and most of the days south of Trondheim out into the western Fjords varied from at least reasonable to very good. Andalsnes, Alesund and ( what many consider to be Norway’s best fjord) Geiranger were all a sight to behold and in each of these places the weather held up nicely. The drive through this whole area was just spectacular – we had high expectations based on our 1985 travels and we were not disappointed. As an interesting aside for many of the days we spent in the area we ended up ( purely coincidentally ) tracking the great Cunard ahip, the Queen Mary 2 all around the Alesund and Olden area. Nothing like a giant Norwegian fjord to make a massive cruise ship look like little more than a toy !
Road scene near Vinjeora. Once around Trondheim we started getting back to lots of green in the scenery. A nice change from white !Spectacular Nidaros cathedral, a pilgrimage sight in Trondheim. First opened back in 1300.The “Old Town” bridge, Trondheim.Pretty waterfront buildings in Trondheim.Trondheim waterfront.Ski jumps, here near Trondheim. We’ve seen many in Norway, no wonder they win so many golds at the Winter Olympics !Sadly, leaving Trondheim we had hoped to drive the famous “Trollstigen” but it was closed for repair 😞😞
One of the benefits of being this far south again was that the snow was just on the very tops of the mountains and fields all around us were green – trees were even getting leaves, so the general scenery was much improved from farther north. One of the things that has not changed ( all over Norway ! ) is the number of “cottages” we see everywhere – it seems that every Norwegian family has a small cottage somewhere – up in the hills, down by the sea or nestled in by the fjords, anywhere there is a flat piece of land ! These places are all seasonal and as we travelled in these parts we could see that people were starting to open them up for the coming summer.
Isfjorden.Pretty waterfront at Andalsnes.
Pretty ( and very popular ) Alesund is a city with an interesting history. Completely destroyed by fire in 1904, the city was completely rebuilt in the ( then ) fashionable “Art Nouveau” style. It’s beautiful, distinctive and timeless. It reminded us in a way of Napier in New Zealand – destroyed by an earthquake in the 1930’s the politicians of the day had the wisdom to decree that all new building follow the Art Deco theme that was then all the rage. Like Alesund, Napier now has a unique style and beauty that continues to draw visitors from all over the world.
Alesund, typical art nouveau architecture. As we walked around we often remarked that the whole place looked like a film set!More of same.Ditto.Ditto.View across to Alesund from our park-up spot across the bay.A popular wild camp spot across the harbour from Alesund. We had it to ourselves- perfect tranquility. In 2 months it will be jam-packed.First bumped into the Queen Mary 2 at Alesund. We would cross paths again.The sheer walls of Geiranger fjord.Part of Geiranger fjord.View over Geiranger village and the fjord.Van parked at Olden, Innvikfjord, Queen Mary 2 moored nearby.QM2 up close !QM2 dwarfed by the fjord. At a distance it looked like a toy.Scenery near Eidsdal.Overlooking pretty Byrkjelo.
It must be said that the Norwegians have done a stunning job connecting this mountainous country all together with 1100 tunnels and hundreds of ferries to get you over ( or under !) the long fjords that run in from the coast. This was not an easy country to tame, but they have made traversing it extremely easy. Everything works, it’s all well kept, and it all runs on time- it’s a very easy place to love ( just ignore some of the highest fuel prices in the world and you’ll be fine – crazy, because they have lots of oil ! ). They make life easy here for campers which just adds to the allure- Norway ( and other Scandinavian countries ) are all a dream for wild camping due to a centuries old law known as “allemannsretten”, something we wish more countries would adopt. Sadly, in some parts of Europe the attitude is completely the opposite.
We’ve always considered this one of, if not, perhaps THE most beautiful countries in the world and we’ve not seen anything on this visit that would cause us to change that view. They don’t consistently rank at or near the top of global living standard rankings by accident.
In closing, here’s a little joke for the week – good reason not to wait too long to get some travelling in !
We’ll continue on next blog with the drive on to Bergen and on across the south of Norway to Oslo, wrapping up our stay in this beautiful country.
Inari ( Finland ) is only a short hop across Hwy 92 to the Norwegian border at Karasjok. From there it was only a 4 hour drive to the very top of Europe – to some a mystical place, to the Sami people of this region a place of spiritual significance, and to many others ( like us ) simply the remote and foreboding far northern extremity of the continent. We had waited decades for this moment, and here it was just a few hours ( mind you, some very nail biting hours ! ) drive away.
Our final day drive to the cape, from northern Finland.
If I’m entirely truthful, the magnitude of the moment was still a bit less than it should ( and could ) have been. Rather than starting in Canada ( as we did ) we should have been starting in Cape Town ( South Africa ) and completing the grand daddy of all overland treks, the “Cape To Cape”. Alas, a global pandemic and a few inconvenient African civil wars put paid to that ( it was to have followed our PanAm adventure back in 2020/21 ). Such is life. But hey, it’s been a heck of a ride from our home in Kelowna, to Baltimore, to Hamburg and on through mainland Europe and Scandinavia to get this far and we are truly excited about this day we’ve looked forward to for so long.
One of the Cape to Cape routes. This fellow did it on a bicycle, alone ( just before the pandemic ). Impressive !
By northern Finland we were already into heavy snow conditions, sub-zero temperatures, howling winds and we knew this last stretch would throw all that at us and more ( narrower roads, icier surfaces, and more challenging visibility) but with our 4×4 set up, good ground clearance, and heavy duty all- weather tires it should not present us any problems. And, with our inside creature comforts we’d be comfortable doing it. The fact that we were in the ONLY vehicle up here without studded winter tires was a tad disconcerting😳.
How it looked as we left Finland.
The run to the Norwegian border was uneventful and while we were not required to stop at the border ( a Schengen benefit ) we did pull up and take the time to talk to the very friendly Norwegian customs and immigration lady. Same question we had fired at the Finn’s when we arrived in Helsinki – was there any way that we could use Canada’s historic bilateral visa agreements with the Scandinavian countries to circumvent the limitations of the 90 day Schengen visa rules which all three of these countries now subscribed to ? In short, as polite as she was, she could not deliver the news we wanted. No, after 90 days in Europe, we had to exit one way or another. End of story. Hey, we tried.
”OK, but where’s ‘Norway’ ? “ 🤣🤣
Having somewhat anticipated this we had moved a little more quickly than we would’ve liked in this first month in order that we had a little more time up our sleeve at the back end and this last bit of bad news from the Norwegian’s only confirmed to us that the strategy had been a good one. At least it now left us with what should be enough time to do what we wanted to do in the first 90 days- if perhaps at the cost of arriving here in northern Norway just a bit sooner than would have been ideal. So far, no weather issues but this would be the tough stretch.
Norwegian town en route to Nordkapp.
The biggest difference between Finland and Norway is unquestionably the mountains. As in, Finland doesn’t have any and Norway is absolutely covered in them ! Big, beautiful, high rocky ones, some of which we had to cross to get to Nordkapp. That was one concern. The other was just the extreme latitude and remoteness ( hundreds of kilometres north of the nearest town of any size ) and of course now well above the Arctic Circle. Just how far ?
Lower on the E39 to Nordkapp.But the roads soon got like this, and much worse….
I googled Deadhorse, in Alaska, and Tuktoyuktuk, in Canada’s NWT – the former at approx. 70 degrees north and the latter at just over 69. At Nordkapp we’d be well over 71 degrees. So, way, way, north – officially farther north than we’d ever been in our lives. A few years back the BBC did a story on the E69 ( the road to Nordkapp ), an interesting read (here).
Pulled this off a website that covered the expedition of a couple of motorcyclists to each the worlds 3 most northerly driveable roads. Nordkapp coldest for us as well !
As we saw the terrain change once in Norway it started to actually feel more remote. Fewer vehicles, the roads narrowed, the roads were in parts completely snow-covered and of course we had long since stopped seeing any trees. It was, in places, almost lunar-like.
Nordkapp actually sits on the island of Mageroya which is connected to the mainland by a tunnel almost 7km long. It’s long, and DEEP – it actually goes under the seabed. Just another bit of eeriness to add to the moment. We passed the sheer sides of fjords, more ( shorter ) tunnels, some small remote settlements and then the last town of any size- Honningsvag. There were now countless reindeer warning signs ( but no more moose warning signs – they are smart enough not to come this far north it seems ! ).
As we went further north, moose warning signs gave way to reindeer signs.…and shortly thereafter we saw one.
Just outside Honningsvag is the turn-off for the final run to the top – and a warning that we may need to join a snowplough “convoy” which goes only twice a day. The road seemed ok at this point although snow was in places banked up almost 2m high on the road sides, at times making it seem like we were driving in a tunnel with no top. “Fortune favours the brave”, it’s said – we’d come this far without assistance, we’d go it alone.
Apart from some steep climbs and descents, some slippery ice here and there and fairly continuous snow drifts, the last 20kms was actually not too bad. Slow, very narrow in places, and with 4×4 engaged all the way to maximize traction, but at no point was it frightening. We had noticed as far back as Helsinki that almost all the vehicles here at this time of year have studded tires and certainly all vehicles this far north have them. We do not since they would be terribly impractical for the other 95% of our journey, but it does mean that we have to exercise. an extra degree of caution on the icy roads up here. Some of the campers did not have 4 x 4 but they ALL had studded tires – and frankly, in these conditions, the studded tires would offer a lot more safety and security than any 4 x 4 system.
Stopped for a break and noticed some very weird crystal formations on the rims – so perfectly symmetrical.
Just after lunch time we could see the unmistakable dome that marks the Nordkapp centre and we pulled in joining the dozen or so vehicles ( most were campers ) already there. We had made it – and I had won a bet. At one point a couple of days before Lois said, said “Jeff there’ll be no one up there at this time of year. There’s no one crazy enough to do it”. She agreed, reluctantly, that nine vehicles counted as just a few more than “no one”, and, like me, began to just soak in the moment – here we were, finally, certainly as far as “drivability” goes, pretty much on top of the world. It felt good, very, very good.
Pulling in to Nordkapp !Stopped for a selfie….…then went to the Nordkapp “globe” marking the northernmost point reachable by road in Europe.View west from Nordkapp.View east ( towards Russia ) from Nordkapp.The route we have taken through Europe.
So, you’re here now, you’ve made it to one of those milestone places you’ve long thought about – what’s to do ? Well, much more in summer than there is in early spring, but but there are various monuments to explore sculptures, a museum, a very nice restaurant, a cinema telling the story of North Cape, and lots of history around the place that speak to its early discovery and the many famous people who have come this far. Folks with any interest in World War II history will probably be aware that just off the north Cape a very famous battle was fought between the German and British Navy that resulted in the sinking of the great German battleship, the Scharnhost, and there is a gripping story of the cat and mouse naval manoeuvres that led to it.
A museum display detailing the Battle of North Cape and the sinking of the Scharnhorst.Seven of us stayed overnight. Every other vehicle was from Germany.A view to Nordkapp.
We had a full afternoon taking in all that and chatting with others, congratulating ourselves on the achieving of getting here. There was also one unexpected gem – a huge pod of whales passed the cape as we were taking our pictures. Conditions were bad, light was fading and snow was falling, and as we were up so high the whales were far far away. The still pictures just did not turn out as it was very difficult to focus on what looked like small objects on the ocean surface however, the short video I shot clearly shows a couple of the whales surfacing and the spouts of water they created. The holy grail is to be at Nordkapp at this time of year and observe a beautiful aurora borealis ( northern lights ) display – too much cloud on the night we stayed, so we missed that but took the whale sighting as a good consolation prize.
Ok, the worst quality video EVER ( blowing snow, strong wind and a very distant clip ), BUT, you can see two whales spouting just off Nordkapp.Nordkapp sits on a plateau about a thousand feet above sea level. Looking down to the Barents Sea.
Like most who make it up there in a camper vehicle we spent the night and toasted with a celebratory drink and dinner we’d prepared. Interesting sidebar – we were the only camper van there that wasn’t from Germany, Nordkapp obviously being very high on German travellers’ bucket lists. It then occurred to us that we may possibly have been the only Canadian campervan that’s ever been there !
So, now to head south – the days will get longer, the weather should get warmer and we still have so much of Norway’s beautiful coastline to explore. We are looking forward to it.
After the ( almost ) micro-states of the Baltics, Finland loomed large on the map of Europe. Like the Baltic countries, a place with its own distinctive culture and language ( and some incredibly long place names ! ) it has also been controlled by others over its history. The Swedes controlled it for centuries, the Russians for a period, and during WW2 the Germans even took control for a while. Finland’s geographic position means it’s always had to carefully balance relations with its neighbours but today it’s a rich, safe, clean and in many places very beautiful country. The only one of the Scandinavian countries we’d not visited before, there was much anticipation as the Viking Line ferry carefully navigated us into Helsinki harbour on a crisp but sunny Spring day. While the ferry entry to Finland is definitely scenic, the city itself ( in contrast to many others ) has a strikingly low profile. That surprised us, especially the real abscence of tall buildings common elsewhere.
Our Viking Line “ferry” – much more like a cruise ship, inside and out !It’s one of Helsinki’s popular attractions – just watching all the ships and ferry’s come and go through its narrow harbour opening.When we landed I asked the Finnish immigration folks if there was any chance of getting more time in Finland “outside “ the Schengen 90 day limit – a flat “No” !
Once off the ferry a park-up spot was located ( right by the harbour ) giving us a great base to explore the city. It was a Sunday, it was sunny, and the Finn’s were out in droves. Walking, hiking, shopping, with the dogs, sipping lattes in outdoor cafés, and just enjoying life ( apparently this was the first sun they’d seen in quite a while ).
Downtown Helsinki.Helsinki’s kauppatori, famous enclosed harbour front food market.
The day was spent doing the requisite exploration of downtown plaza’s, squares, churches and historic monuments – Suomenlinna, the historic fortress on a small island in the harbour, was a definite highlight. Just east of Helsinki lies the historic waterfront town of Porvoo, unusual among small towns in that it has an exceptionally well-preserved Old Town – well worth the extra day we spent there.
Suomenlinna Fort.Old Russian gun, Suomenlinna Fort.The historic fort was used in WW2 as a base for submarines.Porvoo.Porvoo Old TownPorvoo historic church.The outdoor cafe’s in Porvoo were great…!Porvoo
What most excited us about Finland (in contrast to the more densely populated countries we’ve been travelling in ) was the potential to get out into the country, among the lakes and forests, and do some remote camping. The kinds of places you might need a 4 x 4 to get to – after all, we had one ! That opportunity did present itself, and the potential camp spots are endless here, however, the fact that there was still much snow on the ground (and that most lakes were frozen over ) as soon as we moved north, limited some of the activities we could engage in – hiking, for example, became a challenge. We of course expected that in the north of the country, we were just surprised to see it not far north of Helsinki itself.
Yes, they have moose here. Such signs everywhere.
Finland provided us with one other big surprise – how flat it was. We had just imagined the place would’ve had more mountains and while there are hills here and there, certainly there were no mountains to speak of, and we drove all the way from Helsinki almost to the very top of the country before turning west in to Norway. It’s covered in forests, lots of birch, especially, and logging is a huge industry here, reminding us very much of British Columbia where we live.
Much like BC, where we live, logging is huge in Finland.
Travelling north took us through the Lakes District in the south, we swung out to the east towards the Russian border before continuing directly north through the castle town of Savonlinna. A prettier setting you couldn’t find and the castle just looked so picturesque on the lake, yet once again when we tried to enter, we found it was closed on the day we were there – another Monday ( getting to be a pattern here – note to self ! ).
Birch trees everywhere up here !Not far out of Helsinki and most lakes were still frozen over.Olavinlinna castle from the 15th century. Savonlinna.Ditto.Finland has famously long names – try pronouncing this !Oulu’s toripolliisi (fat policeman) statue. Scandinavia has a number of such unusual art works.A great “snowy” camp spot near a Finnish ski hill.
Probably the biggest highlight heading north, into what we often call Lapland, was crossing the Arctic circle, and spending a little time in Santa’s “hometown” of Rovaniemi. The Finn’s will have none of this “North Pole” nonsense, it’s firmly entrenched here that Santa’s hometown is the little village, just north of Rovaniemi, and a veritable cottage industry has been built around it. I’ll let the picture tell the story ( the place was absolutely packed with tourists from every corner of the globe so they have pitched it well !!).
The “Santa clause” brand is everywhere in Rovaniemi.Lois, downtown Rovaniemi.A typical Finn, out enjoying the cold. A foot on both sides of the Arctic Circle.Signpost, Santa Claus village.Letters to Santa.Getting a card off for Christmas delivery. We were shocked – there were tourists here from all over the world.Even had real reindeer !Pretty scene near sunset. Cold outside but we are always warm in the van !Nice scenery on our hike north of Rovaniemi.In colder weather the hiking trails offer “lean to’s” and firewood to keep you warm.Northern lights viewing requires clear skies and so far we have often had clouds. Best we have seen so far 😔.
Beyond Rovaniemi, lies the Sami ( Lapp ) village of Inari, the last Finnish town we visited before heading west to Norway. The town itself is rather non-descript but the museum depicting the Sami people‘s history and their integration into modern Finnish life was fascinating. Some interesting parallels with Canada’s own situation.
Was not aware the Sami were present in all 4 countries.Just an excellent museum in Inari.The only sign, or reference, we saw to the word “Lap”. Sami is the preferred word for the indigenous people of the far north.
Next blog we cross into Norway – we’ll head straight to Nordkapp ( North Cape ), and the very top of continental Europe.
Next blog, the drive to Nordkapp – the very top of Europe.
While Poland spent 45 years under the Soviet sphere of influence, the three Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia were actually part of the Soviet union during that same period – an unwilling part mind you, but nonetheless an integral part of the former Soviet Union. Unlike Poland, each each of the three still has a significant percentage of ethnic Russians in their population. As such, we were very curious as to what we might find driving through each of these tiny countries.
Historic Trakai castle, near Vilnius. The first of several attractions we would visit, which were “closed” on Mondays.
Coming from the south ( Poland ) our first Baltic state was Lithuania and we headed towards the beautiful capital of Vilnius which nudges up close to Belorussia. Just prior Vilnius is the historic castle town of Trakai with its 13th century castle set on a very picturesque lake. A superb sunny Monday had us enthused to wander inside only to find on arrival that the castle ( undergoing renovations ) was closed on Mondays ( a situation we would encounter at another castle barely a week later – what is it with castles in Europe on Monday’s ? ). Enjoyed what was possible from the outside.
Trakai castle is on a most picturesque setting – could not go on so we walked the grounds as it was a gorgeous sunny day.
All three states have scenic capital cities with exceptionally beautiful old towns, and in normal circumstances, Vilnius, capital of Lithuania, is probably the pick of the three – but it was just a bitterly cold and windy day when we were there so the visit was shorter as a result.
Cobblestone street, Vilnius Old Town.Ditto.Vilnius CathedralDitto.
From Lithuania it’s just a short hop to Latvia – it was super easy driving, with great roads and it was easy to navigate our way to historic Riga, it’s capital right on the Baltic Sea. A much improved day gave us the opportunity to explore at a more leisurely pace. Again it was easy to park ( right on the waterfront in this case ) giving easy access to the heart of the city. As for Vilnius, plenty of historic sights and excellent cafe’s and patisserie’s which we took full advantage of ( easy to get hooked on that stuff in Europe ! ).
Lithuania was very flat ( like Holland )! We would soon discover it was true of most of the area of the Baltic states.. One of the more unusual overnight parking locations. A fuel station near Vilnius ( we were kind of stuck, and “any port in a storm” as they say ). Safe, flat, access to amenities and fast WIFi, just €3 per night. They saved us.House of the Black Heads, RigaHistoric St Peter’s Lutheran Church.View of Riga from St Peter’s Church spire.Wall with coat of arms of all Latvian cities and municipalitiesMuseum of the Occupation of Latvia details the period under German occupation in WW2. Another one we hit on a day it was closed – fortunately some of the material was displayed outside.Great parking in downtown Riga, right on the waterfront and just 10 minutes from the Old Town. Courtesy, Park4Night.
Most of our time in the Baltics, however, was spent in and around Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, the northernmost of the three Baltic states. For a few reasons, it was probably our favourite of the three – we enjoyed the best weather, found our favourite cafe in Europe so far ( 3 visits, no less ! ) and explored not just Tallinn, but a bit more of the area outside it, including scenic Lahemaa National Park. Beyond just the sights, though, it was in Tallinn that we had to arrange our ferry crossing to Helsinki ( Finland ), and a few other personal things so we just spent more time there and consequently got a better feel for the city. It definitely enchanted us.
A beautiful drive up the Baltic Sea coast from Riga to Tallinn – taking morning coffee break at a rest stop and soaking up the view.After Riga, destination Tallinn, in Estonia. Our last stop before shipping to Scandinavia.Tallinn Old TownOne of the entry gates to historic Tallinn Old Town.Same gate, from inside.A very frank and candid look at the methods of the KGB.Former KGB “interrogation” cells in Tallinn. Very interesting visit to see and hear what transpired inside.Inside the KGB interrogation cells.Beautiful old church inside the Old Town.Main square, Old Town.Main Square, Tallinn Old Town.Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, a beautiful Russian Orthodox Church, Tallinn Old Town.Needed a prescription filled and obtained it from Europe’s longest continuously operating pharmacy in Tallinn- dating back to 1422. Fascinating to check it all out.Lois insideWe’ve become quite addicted to our morning ritual and sampling some of Europe’s best. The cafe beside the Tourist Info office in Tallinn became our “regular” during the days we spent there. Simply delicious drinks !
In all three of the countries we took in their main museums and and explored their recent history- they only regained their independence in 1994, have fully embraced it and are all firmly now in the European camp. It’s like they never left ! These counties may be small, and probably deserved more time than we allotted to them ( certainly the first two anyway ) but one can’t spend forever in every country, especially with the new Schengen rules so after a week between the three we loaded our van on the Viking Line ferry and crossed the Baltic Sea to Helsinki. More on that in the coming blog !
Farewell Estonia – on board the Viking Line ferry. It was an excellent day for the crossing to Helsinki, sunny and calm.
The PanAm completed in April, 2022 and with the truck camper sold, we shipped our new Sprinter van to Australia in late 2022. We travelled there through all of 2023 and into 2024 before shipping it up to North East Asia where we travelled for 4 months between Korea and Japan, before shipping it back to North America. It’s our plan to continue exploring the world in 2025.
